The Legend of the Gutsy Ninja
by BlueGlass54
Summary: Early in Naruto's life. Kushina is able to be with and care for her son for a brief time. This causes him to have a new dream and takes the ninja world down a path no one could have predicted.


disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything else I may steal characters/concepts/ideas from over the course of this story. So there.

**Chapter 1**

**Mother**

Kushina stood on a tree branch, looking down at the scene below her, a powerful rush of emotions running through her unlike anything she'd felt in years. She'd finally gotten a chance to return to Konoha, to see her son again, only to find the four-year-old blonde here in the middle of the forest, alone, crying his heart out.

The kunoichi took several deep breaths, calming the tumultuous sensations in her body. As much as her every impulse was screaming at her to rush in and sweep little Naruto into her arms, to just pick him up and take him away from all this for good, she knew she had to resist.

"Why... why d's noone l'v me?"

Her son's sobbing, half-formed words nearly shattered her control, but she held on. For his sake. Going to the boy with anything other than complete calm, knowing exactly what she was going to do and say, would only end up hurting him even worse in the end.

She again cursed the world and the people who had forced her into this situation. All she had wanted was to happily raise a family damn it! Instead, the day her son was born, she had to part from him, as the man she loved gave his life to protect everyone and condemned their only child into a life filled with pain and suffering. Because it was the only way he would be able to survive.

And only now, years later, watching as he weeped in loneliness, did the full consequences of the hastily-made plans she and Minato had conceived that dreadful, wonderful night hit her. She would do everything in her power to make Naruto's life as bright as possible. She would see to it that he would live and be happy, even if the whole world had to burn to make it a reality.

The redhead leapt to the ground, her mind settled and prepared. No more thinking, now; it was time to do. She would simply be herself and everything would turn out for the best. As she walked up to the huddled boy, making no effort to conceal herself any longer, crystal-blue eyes still wet with tears gazed up at her in both hope and fear.

"I love you, Naruto." She spoke those four simple words with every bit of emotion she was feeling, and her son froze, at a loss for how to react. Kushina kneeled down and hugged him tightly, and, after a brief moment, the little boy hugged her back. And for the first time in four years, thirty five weeks, two days, fourteen hours, and seven minutes, she held her son in her arms.

* * *

Naruto basked in the nice lady's warmth for a moment that he wished could last forever. People had been nice to him before, but most of them had just been tricking him, trying to hurt him. Now that he'd felt real love for the first time, he'd be able to the difference when people were faking. He wasn't surprised that she knew his name, all the adults knew who he was, even if most of them liked to pretend he wasn't there at all. But the little boy couldn't help but wonder.

"You my m'ther?" he asked the nice lady. After all, wasn't this what mothers did with their children?

They were touching so directly that he felt the words as much as heard them. "Do you want me to be?"

Looking back years later, he would always be amazed at how perfectly she had dodged the question. At age four, however, he didn't even notice. "Yes!" the little boy shouted, still unwilling to leave the comfort of her embrace.

"Well then," she responded, "you can call me Kushina-kaasan, okay? What's your name?"

He pouted. "Bu' you kno' my name," the blonde protested.

Kushina-kaasan disentangled herself from his hold and stepped back a few paces, smiling down at him happily. "I do. But I'd still like to hear you say it."

The poor boy found this so strange and had been feeling so many new sensations in the past five minutes that he couldn't summon up the usual enthusiasm and confidence he displayed to the world. "I... I'm Uzumaki Naruto..."

She frowned in disappointment, but bright green eyes told him it was mere annoyance, and his new mother wasn't about to leave him. "Try that again. And put some effort into it this time."

Collecting himself, the small child took in two great lungfulls of air. "I'M UZUMAKI NARUTO!!!"

The redhead smiled happily. "Much better. Now-"

Whatever she was about to say was cut off when the boy's stomach grumbled loudly, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything for almost a full day.

"I think we need to get you some food," Kushina-kaasan finished after a short pause. Then they both started to giggle, then chuckle, before bursting out into full laughter.

Naruto had never really laughed like this before, in this strange mix of complete joy and excitement and humor and just about every other emotion that could make a person laugh all rolled up into one and bursting out of him as he rolled around helplessly on the grass And it was during this laughter that the real meaning of what had just happened finally hit him.

He had a mother. He wasn't alone anymore. For the first time, he would have some to love and care for him, to play with him, to help him, and to be there for him. Just like all the other children. And the thought made him laugh even harder. He laughed and laughed and laughed, until he was gasping for breath and his whole body was aching and tired. And when he finally finished and got the energy to sit up again, she was still there, sitting right in front of him.

"Naru-chan," his kaasan said, "I need you to promise me something, okay?"

"Anythin'" he answered right away, meaning it completely.

The redhead chuckled lightly. "Be careful when you say that, Naru-chan," she admonished. "I once had to dance on top of my house wearing a pink bunny costume."

Staring up at her in abject horror after the announcement, the small boy made a note to always follow the new advice.

"But you have to promise you won't tell anyone about me."

That one sentence, spoken in such a serious tone, nearly threw him into hysterics. Not tell anyone? Why not? She didn't want to be seen with him? Did that mean she'd leave him whenever he went into the village, when he needed her the most? What if someone found out?! Would she-

Warm, strong arms wrapped around him again, cutting off all thought. "Shh, shh. Don't cry, Naru-chan, I'm right here. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that okay? If certain people find out I'm here it could cause big problems for you, understand?"

So she was still caring for him, still loving him and keeping him safe. "I- I unnerstan, Kaasan. Don' w'rry I no tell." His mind drifted towards the only other person who was ever kind to him, even if the old man was always so busy he could only spend a couple hours a month with him. "No' even Hoka'e-jiji?"

She released him from the hug and held him in front of her by the shoulders, so that they could see each other's faces again. "Especially not Hokage-jiji. He has lots and lots of important stuff to do, and of he knew I was here, he'd have to tell the people who can't know about me. So remember, it's a secret!" She leaned over and whispered the last three words excitedly right into his ear. A secret? Cool!

Any further thoughts in that direction were interrupted when his stomach growled again. "Now," Kushina-kaasan said, "let's get you something to eat."

Blue eyes looked up, puzzled. "How we do tha'? Can' le' pep'le see you."

The redhead gave him a playful smirk. "Watch," she instructed, before standing up. She made some weird movements with her hands, like he sometimes saw ninja do, there was a puff of smoke, and she had _changed. _Long red hair turned purple and shortened a few inches, gaining a sort of wavy shape that went own to around her shoulders. She grew ever so slightly taller, right in front of him, and the whole shape of her body altered ever so slightly. When she opened her eyes, they were brown.

"Aw'some!" Naruto shouted. "C'n I le'rn t'do tha'?"

The woman smiled down at him warmly. "Maybe someday, but right now, we need to get you some food."

Of course, food! And with his new kaasan, maybe they'd even be able to get it from a shop! She looked down at the excited child. "Now, Naru-chan, when we're around other people, I want you to call me Misato-san, got it?"

He nodded vigorously. "Misa'o-san. Goddit."

Once-green eyes gave him a disapproving look. "Mi-sa-to-san. Mi-sa-_to_. Try it again."

The boy went slowly, this time, making sure he got all the sounds just like she wanted. "Mi...sa...to. Mi...sa...to. T..t..t..t..t.. Misato-san."

Se smiled proudly down at him, giving him a gentle pat on the head. "Very good. Now follow me, and let me show you where to find the best food in the whole wide world."

* * *

Kushina couldn't help but to be proud of her son. His very first time eating ramen, and he'd had twelve bowls of the holy noodles. A true Uzumaki without a doubt. He'd even managed to pick out Ichiraku's as their destination based purely on scent once they got close.

Teuchi-sama was giving the pair of them a disbelieving and slightly suspicious stare. Not too surprising, as the ex-Whirlpool kunoichi was the only person to have ever ordered thirty bowls of miso ramen before, and now a woman he'd never seen had come in with her son and gotten that exact same order. Even though he wasn't a ninja, only making use of chakra to enhance his cooking to otherworldly levels, the old ramen chef definitely wasn't an idiot.

"Naru-chan," she turned to the energetic little blob bouncing up and down on the stool next to her, short legs waving about wildly in the air, "why don't you and Ayame-chan go upstairs and play for a bit?" Blue eyes looked up at her in puzzlement and a tiny hint of worry. "It's okay, she'll take good care of you. Won't you, Ayame-chan?"

The brown-haired nine-year-old looked at her for a moment, before turning to her father. "Go do as the nice customer says, Ayame. Show Naruto-kun here all your toys." At the chef's instructions, the girl smiled before ducking under the counter, taking the much younger boy by the hand, and leading him encouragingly to the upper level of the shop, where the Ichirakus lived.

"Bye Kaa- Misato-san!" her son called out as he was dragged away. It was lucky no one else was there to witness his slip-up. Once the children were gone, Kushina activated a light soundproofing jutsu around the ramen stand; anyone walking by would hear the sound of conversation but be unable to make out individual words. It would fade automatically in about a half hour, giving them ample time for the coming conversation.

There was no need to drop the henge, as the old man had already figured out her identity. "If you've been alive all these years, why haven't you been here? And why all the secrecy, Kushi-kun?"

She smiled on hearing the old nickname again. "I can't tell you much for your own safety, but there's a huge tangled web of plots and schemes, all with my son at the center. As long as I'm presumed dead, I can move about, access things and places I wouldn't be able to otherwise. Dead, I can do something for Naruto. If the world knew Uzumaki Kushina was alive, I wouldn't be able to, and he wouldn't live past fifteen.

"Today... Today was my fist chance to see my son since the day I gave birth to him. I found him alone in the woods, crying, because he thought no one loved him. Damn it... I hate this!" She pounded her fists hard on the countertop, while making sure to keep her voice down so as not to disturb the children up above. "This isn't what we wanted, Minato and I. We wanted to raise him as a family, the three of us together, but then the Kyuubi came and... Gah!" She was crying now, not bothering to hide it. Teuchi-sama was the second person she met in Konoha, right after Minato, as a scared, lost fifteen-year-old kunoichi whose home had just been destroyed, drawn to this place by the irresistible smell of his cooking.

"But you're here for him now, right? Making the best of what you have, that's what matters." As comforting as the old ramen chef's advice usually was, all it did at the moment was to make her cry harder.

"That's- that's just it, you see," she choked out amongst tears. "I can't- I can't stay. Just- just a few- months. Then I'll- I'll have to leave him again."

The woman was crying so much she couldn't even see clearly anymore, but she could still the concern and doubt in the man's voice. "Just a few months? Are you-are you sure? There's no way to-"

"NO, THERE'S NO WAY!" She whipped her head up to face him, the old man drawing back at the force of her emotional outburst. "Even that long is pushing it. Hell, spending any time around him at all is pushing it. But it's worth the risk."

There was a long pause as she calmed down, and he took some time to process everything.

Teuchi looked at her sympathetically. "I can look after him once you're gone, take care of him. Ayame would probably like having a little brother to-"

"No," she cut him off sternly. "No, it won't work. As much as I may hate it, Naruto will have to learn to take care of himself. If he's seen as closely attached to you, there are people who would use you and your daughter to control him. Just be kind and supportive. I'm sure he'll be in here often enough for your delicious ramen, anyway."

The chef let out a brief laugh at that. "Of course. Besides, if today was anything to go by, he'll soon be my number one customer."

The next several minutes were spent in silence, as Kushina made up for the years of missed noodles with an additional twenty bowls. As she ate, she went over all the skills she would need to teach her son in the coming months so that he would be ready when she had to leave. Reading, writing... speaking... cooking (even Teuchi-sama's ramen by itself wouldn't be enough for a growing boy), pranking, hygiene, sewing, money management, wilderness survival, molding chakra (having a head-start was always good), paying attention to his surroundings, gardening... There was definitely a lot of stuff.

The feel of something tugging on her pant leg brought her back to reality, and she looked down to see Naruto's blue eyes smiling up at her. "Ca' we come agai' Misato-san?" Confused for a moment on why the boy thought they'd be leaving in the first place, the mother soon took note of the dying daylight coming from beneath the curtains. Had she really been so out of it as to not notice several _hours_ going by? Then again, it wasn't too surprising, considering just how emotionally exhausting the day had been.

Her son was correct in his childish insistence that they leave. After all, she still had nowhere to sleep. "Of course we can, every day if you want to," she answered him, rising from her stool with a grateful nod and the right amount of money for Teuchi-sama. The little boy responded with a smile so bright it would have out-shined the sun, before taking her by the hand and leading the way out of the ramen stand.

The blonde bundle of energy dragged her along streets and through alleyways purposefully, with cries of "C'mon," "This way," and "Hurry," so intent on his destination that he didn't even seem to notice the glares sent his way. Kushina did though, and glared right back at each and every one of them, just as she had on the way to Ichiraku's. She resisted the strong temptation to simply tear their eyes out. It would cause her son too many problems.

It took several minutes before she realized just where they were headed, but when she did, the woman smiled. Her son, it seemed, had discovered the exact same wonder she had not long after arriving in Konoha and wanted to share it with his new mother. Her suspicion was all but confirmed when they reached the foot of the long series of staircases leading up to the top of the Hokage Monument, and Naruto began to run up the steps without delay, climbing as fast as his small size would allow.

She easily kept pace with the four-year-old looking on in interest as he became frustrated with his slow pace and switched to running on all-fours, letting him climb several steps at once, doubling his pace. Wondering if this different method of movement was some sort of instinct he'd gained from having half the Kyuubi's chakra, along with the fox's mind, sealed inside him, Kushina finally let her henge drop, now far enough away from anyone else that discovery was no longer a risk.

They arrived at the top, now sitting above her deceased lover's head, just in time to catch the end of the sunset. Next to her, Naruto was breathing deeply as he recovered from his unusual sprint up the stairs. She gave him a pride-filled smile; most four-year-olds wouldn't even be capable of _walking_ up that without stopping to rest several times.

Spread out below them, Konoha was bathed in the soft red light of the setting sun. It was breathtaking. The two of them, mother and son, just sat there, taking pleasure in each other's presence until the sun went down and the stars began to come out.

Now there was the question of where to sleep. However, that too didn't seem to be a problem as the short blonde led her again with purpose, but at a much more sedated pace. Curiously enough, he was taking her into the woods behind the Monument. The direction they were heading stirred a faint memory inside her, like she'd been here once before. Trying not to read too much into it, Kushina followed him through a narrow crawlspace in some thick bushes, one she wouldn't have even noticed under normal circumstances.

On rising to her feet and looking around, the woman let out a gasp of surprise. She _did_ know this place. Despite only having been here a single time previously, every detail, from the waterfall in the northeast to the peaceful grove of trees with the small stream running through it just twenty yards away. Oh yes, she would never in all her years be able to forget this place. It was Minato's private training grounds that he had created with over a decade of work with both elemental ninjutsu and fuuinjutsu. More importantly, it was the place where Naruto had been conceived.

How the hell had he managed to find this place, and how had he been able to get in?! Well, come to think of it, the second wasn't so surprising, as not only was he the direct offspring of the only two people with access, but he had technically already been inside before.

"C'mon, Kushina-kaasan!" the boy called out, pulling her from her thoughts. He was heading towards the nearby grove, gesturing for her to follow. Inside, just as she remembered, was a sizable clear area of soft grass. What she hadn't been expecting was the laundry line her son had set up between two sticks, not far from the stream, with a couple extra sets of the orange shorts and white tee shirt he was wearing. Looking around a bit more, the woman realized that she could probably strike a few things off that list she'd been making back at Ichiraku's. The boy had quite clearly been on his own for a while and had been resourceful enough to provide for his basic needs. Normally, she would have been outraged that he was forced to live alone like this, but she'd had over four years to accept that his life would not be normal.

"Did you do all this yourself, Naru-chan?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yep!" the little boy exclaimed proudly as he stripped out of his clothes and started to wash both the garments and himself in the stream. Apparently, modesty was one thing he hadn't learned yet. Nor was proper nutrition, judging by his skinny, malnourished body.

Kushina gave a happy laugh. "Good for you, then."

"Hehehe." He chuckled, embarrassed, quite possibly for the first time in his life. A few minutes later, he was drying himself off with one of the extra shirts, before putting it back on the improvised clothesline, along with the clothes he'd just washed. "Kaasan, ca' we sleep togethe'?"

Unable to deny her son anything, the woman agreed, despite the oddity of the request. She, however, left her underclothes on as she laid down on the soft grass, the boy's small, warm body cuddled between her arms as they both fell asleep.

* * *

Naruto loved his Kushnia-kaasan. The last few weeks with her had been like something out of a dream, but even in his best dreams, he'd never felt this... happy. Everything she did with him was new and exciting, even the things they did nearly every day, like going to Ichiraku's. When she was with him, nothing else mattered. When she was with him, he was safe and loved, and the way everyone looked at him just wasn't a big deal anymore.

And she was teaching him so much, too. New words, and new kinds of food, and new ways of looking at the world. It was wonderful. At first, he'd been afraid he would wake up to find out it had all been a dream, but each morning he could still feel her there, arms wrapping warmly around him, the fear lessened.

His favorite part of the day, though, was just before they went to bed. For a half-hour, the two of them would sit together somewhere in their large, secret home, a different place each time, and read. She would read to him and, more recently, he would read back to her.

"'Ugh!' the shi- shinobi gasped out... as he hit the tree. 'E-even if you kill me, another a-ssass-in'" the blonde took his time with the long word, making sure he got it right. "'will attack the village.' The... defeated... ninja chuckled. 'There will be no peace... as long as we live in this accur- accursed?" He looked up questioningly at the red-haired woman, and she answered with an approving nod.

Smiling, the boy returned his attention to the page in front of him. "'accursed world... of ninjas.' The young man was... silent for a moment, con-sid-er-ing his words before speaking. 'Then, I will break the curse,' he said, eyes blazing with confidence in his belief. 'If there is such a thing as peace, I will find it! I won't-'"

"Naruto..." his mother cut him off warningly.

"Oops," he apologized. Again, he'd started reading by memory instead of by what was in front of him. But it was hard, damn it! Having to push aside the desire to just say the lines he now knew by heart and actually read them instead, and he couldn't help but get caught up in the moment when reading this book, imagining himself as that other Naruto. Someone that everyone who knew him respected and cared about.

Kushina-kaasan insisted though, so he'd do it. She liked having him work on two or more things at once like this, reading and splitting his mind in parts at the same time, said that the challenge was good for him and would help him grow. And he loved it too, both the praise he got from her and the feeling of accomplishment from inside himself.

Taking a few deep breaths in preparation, he glanced briefly into her green eyes, letting her know he was ready, before starting to read again. "'I won't give up!' The downed... shinobi looked up at him in wonder and... awe. 'Wh-who are you?' he asked, amazed by the sheer... con-vic-tion... in his words and face, a sudden, despar- desp_e_rate... desire to know his name. The young ninja raised his left arm. 'My name is Naruto,' he said, before-"

"Okay, we'll stop there for the night."

He turned his upper body around to look right at the redhead and gave her his best pout. "But Kaasan, we're just getting to the best part! Do we have to?"

"You need your sleep, Naru-chan," she admonished. "After all, tomorrow's going to be a very busy day."

"Busy? Why? What're we doing?" the small blonde asked curiously.

She gave him a smile. "Now now, that would spoil the surprise." He returned it with an even stronger pout. "...Oh, all right, I'll give you a hint. Remember that mean lady at the fruit stand two days ago, the one who wouldn't sell us any apples?"

The boy's eyes lit up, and he began to bounce up and down in excitement. "A prank, we're gonna do a prank?! Yippeee!" He leapt to his feet, putting aside _The Legend of the Gutsy Ninja_,and started running around in circles, unable to contain his joy after hearing of the activity planned for the next day.

Faster than he could track, his kaasan was standing too, holding him up at eye level, his body dangling several feet up in the air, a firm hand clasped around his shoulder supporting his weight. "Only if you go to bed right now, got it?" she demanded sternly-but-not-sternly.

He gave a swift nod. "Yep!" As usual, the woman simply released him, forcing him to find his feet and brace himself to keep from crumpling unceremoniously on the grass. It was something he'd improved greatly on out of necessity over the last few weeks. She picked up the book and, together, they started the hike back to the grove they always slept in.

* * *

Kushina was worried. It was the first time since she'd reunited with her son nearly two months ago that she was more than thirty yards away from him, and she didn't like it. Oh, she was sure Naruto would be fine, he was with the Ichirakus after all, and this wouldn't take too long, but she couldn't help but worry anyway.

As the temporarily purple-haired woman walked down the hall toward the door, she began to prepare herself for what lay beyond. Really, this was a meeting she had been expecting to have from the moment she approached the boy in the woods. She wondered just why it had taken this long, while still grateful for the fact, as it had given her extra time to be ready.

Mentally checking over everything one last time, making sure her henge was perfect, her chakra suppressed to the level of an average civilian, and her emotions under control (but not too tightly, as that would be a dead giveaway something was up), she reached out a hand for the door. The kunoichi felt bad for having to fool the old man like this; he was always kind and had doubtless done what he could for Naruto, but there wasn't any way to avoid it, not without potentially destroying everything.

Fully slipping into her role, she opened the door.

She looked around the spacious office curiously, wondering why she had been summoned. Most of it was bare except for a few plants, the four pictures along one wall, and the large windows overlooking the village. Straight ahead of her, a kind old man sat behind a desk piled high with papers and forms, the red-and-white robes and hat of a Hokage on his person. He gestured to the seat in front of the desk.

Walking over to the offered chair, the woman bowed deeply in respect before sitting, waiting patiently until he was ready to address her. It didn't take long; the aged leader finished with whatever document he was working on, placing it into a stack to his right before turning his attention to her.

"It seems to me that you are wondering why you are here." Brown eyes, just a few shades off from her own, seemed to study her.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

The old man seemed to chuckle silently. "There is no need for such formality, young miss; you may call me Sarutobi. Though I would like to know your name."

"Thank you, Sarutobi-sama. My name is Katsuragi Misato."

He nodded, as though noting down the name in his mind. "Very well then, Katsuragi-san. I called you here because it has come to my attention that you are spending a great deal of time in the company of an orphan, one Uzumaki Naruto."

Her eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Naru-chan? Yes, I've been spending time with him. He's such a sweet boy. Is there a problem with that, Saruobi-sama?"

"No, no. No problem. I'm just curious, is all." One of his hands gave a gentle wave, reinforcing his point.

"You see, Sarutobi-sama," Misato answered doing her best to hide her displeasure at the situation, "I ran into Naru-chan right when I got to Konoha. A little boy, no older than five, all by himself, and the way everyone looks at him, it's like he has some kind of disease. I haven't yet had any children of my own, but..." She trailed off, not quite sure how to finish.

The aged Hokage looked at her sympathetically. "Ah, I understand. As for the way he is treated, Naruto has always been something of a troublemaker, causing all sorts of problems left and right. The orphanages, still overcrowded after the disaster nearly five years ago, couldn't manage him, and he didn't get along with any of the foster families. He had proven himself to be exceptionally self-sufficient for one so young, however, so he was allowed to live on his own.

"I like to check in on him from time to time; as you have said, he is such a kind, innocent boy most of the time. It pains me to see the way the villagers act towards him, but even as Hokage, I have neither the power nor the right to forcibly change their views.

"That brings me to my true reason for speaking with you. I was wondering if you perhaps wished to make your adoption of young Naruto official. You have certainly made an excellent mother."

The woman's face fell. "Unfortunately, Sarutobi-sama, that will not be possible. As much as I may love the boy, I have a home that I will need to return to in a couple months' time. But Naru-chan's home is here, and forcing him to part from that is not something I will do."

The old man gave her an understanding nod. "Very well then. Please take good care of him for the remainder of your stay here." An obvious dismissal.

"Thank you, Sarutobi-sama." Misato stood and gave the Hokage another bow, before walking back out of the room.

The moment the door closed, Kushina wanted to laugh in relief. She'd done it. With the good impression she'd left on the Sandaime, he wouldn't check too heavily into her identity, and Katsuragi Misato was a fairly well-developed alias that would be perfectly capable of standing up to such an inspection. Her paperwork, she knew, was all in order, a benefit of having done the stuff for Minato during his years in the job. She was a simple civilian businesswoman here to try and make some deals.

The only thing that could cause her to be discovered now was the old monkey's crystal ball, but using that to watch her son created a chakra disturbance any halfway decent jonin could detect for several seconds before he got vision. More than enough time to apply her henge and slip into the role.

Naruto had long since gotten used to it, her seemingly-random (from his viewpoint) switches into her purple-haired alter-ego when they were alone sometimes. There hadn't been any more slip-ups with her name either, after that partial one the very first day.

And inside her husband's hidden training grounds, they were perfectly safe, one of the many security seals designed specifically to counter the crystal ball. Whenever Sarutobi checked up on them while they were inside there, he would just see them relaxing at the edge of the pond that people without access to the training grounds found at the location.

As she made her way back to Ichiraku's she thought over the last two months. This time with her son was like some sort of wonderful dream. He was learning so much and loving every minute of it. The redhead had no doubt that he'd do fine on his own, when it came time for her to...

No. No sad thoughts. They didn't help anyone. Instead, she turned her mind to yesterday, when Naruto had pulled his first solo prank. Watching that man flail about wildly with a chicken glued to his hair had had them in fits of laughter for nearly an hour. Hmm, maybe they could start working on more high-profile targets soon. Imagining Hyuuga Hiashi in that same situation caused her to let out a light chuckle, attracting the attention of several other people walking down the street.

The only thing that had ever caused any real trouble between mother and son had been when she had first started teaching him how to hunt. The loving blonde had been extremely resistant to the thought of killing innocent animals just for food, no matter how many times she explained that he needed meat, more than what came with his ramen, and the stuff most of the stores would sell him was of horrible quality.

She'd eventually gotten through to him by pointing out that hunting was simply going along with the way nature worked. If you kill an animal, you earn the right to eat it, and if it gets away, it has earned the right to live. That idea, that one is competing with their prey and must work to get the reward of food, was one he'd found a bit more acceptable for whatever reason.

One thing that had both of them frustrated recently, though, were their attempts to access Naruto's chakra. The boy could feel the energy flowing inside him just fine when he concentrated, but all efforts to pull it out would result in nothing more than him looking constipated.

Luckily, she had known a few diagnostic jutsu that had allowed her to figure out what was going on. Having had to reinforce the shiki fuujin every day of his life, the child's chakra levels had grown to over seven times what was considered normal for one so young. The overall effect of this was not unlike being constipated, as a matter of fact. He had so much chakra built up inside his body over such a long period of time, with none of it ever being consciously used that it was sort of blocked up inside his body. Daily efforts to harness his chakra would eventually wear away the blockup, but it was impossible to tell just how long that would take.

Other than that, Kushina had decided to avoid teaching her son anything relating specifically to being a ninja. He was still a little boy, and these months were probably the closest he'd ever get to a normal childhood. Training and studying at this early stage would ruin that; she'd seen it happen in the past with supposed prodigies like that one boy, Uchiha Itachi.

Of course, this did nothing to stop Naru-chan from imitating her as she did her morning stretches and exercise. Getting a healthy amount of physical activity was good for people of any age and an excellent habit to be in. She just didn't want to start teaching him taijutsu forms or anything along those lines right now. There were enough people in Konoha that he'd be able to find someone unprejudiced and able to teach him in the next few years, as there was really no path open for him besides that of a ninja. Another thing the world had forced on him, alongside the Kyuubi.

Her nose picked up the divine scent of Ichiraku ramen from up ahead, and she doubled her pace, anxious to see her son again. He'd taken quite the liking to not only the ramen but the owner and his daughter as well, seeing them as something of an uncle and older sister respectively. He'd even started calling them Teuchi-ojisan and Ayame-oneesan. It was really quite cute.

* * *

Naruto awoke quickly, knowing right away that something about today was different. He could feel it in the extra-loving way his mother's arms wrapped around him. Tilting his head back, he could see that she was already awake, smiling down at him.

"Good morning, Naru-chan. Happy birthday." That's right, it was his birthday today. From what he could remember of his previous ones, they had never been very happy, though. People tended to be meaner than normal. They wouldn't even look at him for the most part, instead acting like he didn't even exist unless he tried to get away with something he wasn't supposed to do. He'd figured that if they were really pretending he wasn't there, no one would do anything if he stole an apple. Instead, the person running the stand had grabbed his wrist painfully tightly then hit him, hard, while not saying a single word to him.

But it would be different this year, because Kushina-kaasan was with him.

The small boy gave her his best and brightest smile. "Good morning, Kushina-kaasan." As he spoke those words, he could feel his body begin to fill with excitement. It was a new day! Another day with someone there to love him and notice him! And more than that, he just knew that she had something special planned. Something that would make this day even more brilliant than all the others put together! "So, so!" he said, leaping up and running over to his clothes, more than ready to start the day. "What're we gonna do today?!"

She laughed, the merriment showing clearly in her green eyes as he yanked his shirt down over his head. "Today, my adorable little Naru-chan, we are going to do _whatever you want_. Got that? This is your day, your birthday, so you get to decide everything."

Hearing her words, the joy and excitement within him burst forth in his own bubbling laughter. And, quite suddenly, he knew _exactly_ what he wanted. "Kaasan," he asked, "can you use the henge no jutsu on someone else?"

"Yes. It's pretty difficult for most ninjas, almost impossible, but I happen to be really really good at henge. Why?" The red-haired woman was clearly puzzled by his sudden question.

"Then, after we get some ramen, let's go to the festival!" Her eyes widened, realizing just what he was thinking. If he looked like someone else too, they could join in on the fun, be a part of everything. It would be the best day of his life.

* * *

Kushina looked down at her son, bouncing happily along beside her, now in the guise of an unassuming little boy with short brown hair and grey-blue eyes. Were it not for the aura of joy radiating from him, no one would have given the pair a second glance amidst the massive crowds. As it was though, they saw nothing more than a mother and son having a good time. Amazing how the people of Konoha only saw them for what they really were when they were disguised.

Instead of her usual "Misato" henge, she too had the same brown hair, though hers was nearly shoulder-length, and black eyes. They truly did look related, more so than they would have in their actual appearances.

It had been quite funny that morning when they'd gone into Ichiraku's, introducing themselves as Ikari Yui and Shinji, and ordered seventy bowls of ramen. Teuchi-sama had just stared at them blankly for several seconds, before Naru-chan couldn't hold it in any longer and doubled over in laughter at his expression. Kushina had soon followed, and the old ramen chef, clever as always, had quickly deduced just what was going on and offered all the food on the house. As they'd left, the kunoichi had slipped a hundred ryo note, enough to pay for the meal fifty times over, into the cash box without anyone noticing.

"Kaasan! Kaasan! That one looks like fun!" The normally blonde-haired child was shouting while tugging at her hand, his free arm pointing to a nearby booth where a few other little kids were taking turns trying to throw plastic balls into a hole. Maintaining a henge on someone else required much less concentration with direct physical contact. Were she to let him wander about freely, the woman would have to move very little if she wanted to keep both their henges active and undetected.

Together, they stood at the booth, awaiting their turn. When it came, she paid the three hundred yen fee, dumped the five plastic balls into her son's arms, and stood back to watch. The goal of the game was to get at least three of the balls into the hole, and you won a prize. Naruto, of course, wanted to get all five, so he could have the Yondaime-shaped pillow. Fortunately, this booth was for the children who weren't ninja-in-training, so he might actually be able to do it.

Her son stepped up to the throwing line, letting the extra balls fall to the ground around him as he held the first one tightly in his left hand, a look of intense concentration on his face. It was easy enough to picture him with that same look while fighting to protect the friends he would someday make, a Konoha forehead protector around his head.

As the boy made the toss, getting the ball right in the hole, she looked over at the prize he was hoping to win, remembering the man it represented. There was no doubt in her mind that their son would grow into someone Minato would have been proud of. The second ball went in just like the first.

The woman running the booth raised her eyebrows in surprise when Naruto switched to his right arm for the third throw. Ambidextrous children were fairly rare, even in a ninja village. Both the next two shots went in as well, as the boy took his time and aimed each one carefully.

As he prepared for the last toss, Kushina noted that his eyes held none of the nervousness and excitement one would expect from a child just a step away from reaching a goal. Nothing but a calm confidence that he would succeed. The moment his hand started to unclench, her expert eyes knew the toss was good, but she held her applause until the ball actually went in. Ikari Yui wouldn't be able to predict the path of a thrown object like that, after all.

They walked away smiling, Naruto's free arm wrapped tightly around the stuffed replication of his father nearly half the size of the boy himself. "Now, what next?" she asked.

Blue-grey eyes darted about wildly as he tried to make up his mind. Eventually, they settled in a specific direction. "Food!" So, laughing, the pair set off for the food stands.

* * *

Naruto was right, it _had_ been the best day of his life. Ichiraku's in the morning. Spending several hours on games and treats at the festival. A good prank in the afternoon. Watching the sun set with his kaasan, sitting together atop Yondaime-sama's head, clutching his fluffy version of the man and a copy of the photograph of a pink-haired Uchiha Fugaku, his face red in rage, as he had just stepped proudly up to a podium, ready to give a speech to the gathered crowd. The way everyone had laughed, it had been their best prank yet! And now they were back in their secret home, and Kushina-kaasan was going to read his favorite story to him until he fell asleep.

But something was wrong. Sometimes, when he had looked at his mother, just for a moment she would look sad. She'd tried to hide it, thought he didn't notice, but hiding it just made it all the more visible. And she'd gotten sadder and sadder bit by bit as the night wore on.

He couldn't keep on ignoring it anymore.

"Kushina-kaasan, what's wrong?" he asked, just as she was about to start reading.

"Nothing's wrong, Naru-chan, I-" But she stopped herself in mid-sentence, as he gave her a look that let her know he didn't believe a word of it.

There were several seconds of complete silence as the two just stared at each other in the cool autumn night. Then she broke down, sobbing.

With a terrible, sick feeling settling into his stomach, Naruto suddenly realized just why she was so sad. Adults would always underestimate his hearing, even his kaasan, so he often heard things he wasn't supposed to. He could hear the whispers that followed him in the street, and he had heard every word of the conversation between his mother and Teuchi-ojisan the day he'd met her.

She had to leave.

And as much as he wanted to tell her that everything was okay, that he loved her and he'd be all right on his own and she didn't need to worry, he couldn't. He couldn't because telling her that would be telling her that he'd heard them, and that would make her even sadder. And he couldn't because it _wouldn't_ be okay, he _wouldn't _be all right without her because he _loved _her and he _didn't want_ her to go and...

He too burst into tears.

The blonde boy had no idea how long they lay there together, weeping. When they finally stopped, the stars were fully out above them, and he was exhausted in a way he'd never felt before.

"Naru-chan... I have to leave" She was exhausted, too.

"Why?" he asked. He wanted to demand it but just didn't have the energy.

"Because..." She sighed. "Because there are mean people in this world. Really mean people, worse than the villagers. People who will end up hurting you if I don't do something about them."

"But why does it have to be you? Why can't you stay here, and someone else can take care of the mean people?"

"Because the world doesn't work that way. You, Naru-chan, are a blessing, but you were born into a cursed world."

Those words instantly brought to mind a different Naruto, in a different place, and a different time. Thinking of him, the small blonde suddenly felt energy rushing through him again. "Then I will break this curse. I'll change the world, make it better! I won't give up!" he promised, partially quoting the book.

And Kushina-kaasan wasn't sad anymore either. Blue and green eyes stared into each other for a moment that seemed to lat a lifetime. "Are you sure?" she asked.

He knew that he could still change his mind, he could say "stay" and she would. They would be together for the rest of their lives, he and his mother. But those lives would be short, the bad people would end up killing them. He didn't know how, or who they were, but that was what she had said, that he wouldn't live past fifteen, and he believed her. So he couldn't.

"I'm sure. Just..." The little boy paused, unsure of how to finish.

"Just what?" his kaasan said.

"Just... read to me. Until I fall asleep."

And so he laid down on the grass, head on his new pillow, listening to her soft voice telling the beginning of the tale of that other Naruto, the people he loved, the things he did, and the world he was so determined to bring peace to. The earlier exhaustion returned full-force, and he soon found himself drifting off to sleep.

"I love you, Naru-chan," was whispered in his ear.

"Lov' y'u to', kaa'an." he mumbled.

That night, he dreamed. He dreamed of a girl with lavender eyes, her entire being radiating an endless love and kindness to the whole world. A boy soon to be lost in darkness and rage, his soul crying out for help. A pink-haired beauty, wanting everything yet not believing herself capable of anything. A boy who wanted to help those around him but didn't think he could, not able to see the strength he held. A girl trying so hard to fit in with those around her, she was destroying herself. Eleven children all together, each different and special and important, each in their own way. And one more boy, familiar but not, wishing things didn't have to be the way they were.

A giant fox with blood-red fur and nine massive tails, powerful beyond comprehension. A man so afraid of death, he would do anything to keep it away. Someone old, half covered in bandages, holding onto life only through his fanatical belief in a time long passed. A group of shadowy figures dressed in black and red, each so caught up in their own personal desires they never noticed the man, so ancient, with a mind long since broken, manipulating them in ways that only made sense to him. And a youth, older than the ones from earlier, clinging to his beliefs so tightly that his grip was crushing the world around him.

When he awoke the next morning, the dream had faded to a vague blur, and he was alone. Laying next to him on the grass was the book, _The Legend of the Gutsy Ninja_. Naruto didn't cry, though, because being sad wouldn't help. Instead, he picked up the book and reinforced his promise, to make the world better.

* * *

comments: Welcome to my newest story. I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter.

A lot of emotional stuff right off the bat, with me alternating back and forth between Kushina and Naruto. I tried to fit in humor where I could, as I'm hoping to make this story a little bit lighter than the other one I currently have going, but this chapter doesn't loan itself very well to laughs. Also, this will be my first real attempt at a regularly funny story, so it might not turn out how I want at all.

The one part of this chapter that I don't particularly like is the conversation between the Sandaime and Kushina. It just seems kind of... dull. Also, the dream at the end wasn't something I originally had planned. I wrote it in on the spur of the moment.

One more thing is money. There's not yet been any sort of definite money system given in the Naruto world to my knowledge, so I (somewhat) made one up. A yen is approximately a penny, and one ryo is 10,000 yen.

There isn't really much I can think of that needs to be said at this point, so I'll leave it at that.

P.S. I'll be alternating between work on this and "Naruto: Another Version" depending on which one I feel more like writing at the time.


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